The first time that I heard “Ripple” by the Grateful Dead was when I watched Freaks and Geeks as a young teenager. The track plays in the very last scene of the one-season series and coincides with the main character making an adventurous and rebellious decision. This choice signifies a central moment in the character’s arc in which she finally acts based solely on her own needs and desires. Both the show and the song delicately balance themes of needing to make personal choices while also requiring guidance along the way.
The first lyrics of the track that align themselves with these themes read:
“Would you hear my voice come through the music?/
Would you hold it near as it were your own?/
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken/
Perhaps they’re better left unsung”
The way in which I have long interpreted this part of the song is that Robert Hunter, writer and long-time Grateful Dead member, was suggesting that guidance is often misinformed and diluted, as it is the result of another’s experience. In this scenario, the person providing guidance believes that someone else should use it as it is, leaving it untouched and applying it to their own experience. However, in the next two lines, this notion is blurred as Hunter asserts that this voice is providing broken thoughts, comparing them to “hand-me-down” items. The advice has already been used; it is not fully applicable to any other experience that may have just the slightest of differences.
Under this framework, there is still room for pieces of guidance to be used. “Hand-me-down” items can still be used and often carry immense sentimental value and history. While the guidance may not fit the exact conditions of one’s experience, it is often provided by someone who holds similar morals, beliefs and even experiences. Being able to filter advice and guidance to find parts that are appropriate for a specific situation is essential in order to maintain a balance of individualism and reliance.
As the song continues, it leans further into emphasizing the importance of making authentic and difficult decisions. One section from the second verse reads:
“There is a road, no simple highway/
Between the dawn and the dark of night/
And if you go, no one may follow/
That path is for your steps alone”
Much of people’s fears surrounding decision-making can be attributed to the fact that they are often alone in making such choices. Decisions in difficult situations are deeply personal to the individual, and yet, they are a vital part of people understanding who they are and where they fit into the world. A decision left unmade is rendered to lost knowledge and experience. Even if the choice and the experiences that come along with it are negative, not many people will be quick to argue that growth did not occur in the process.
The last verse reads:
“You who choose to lead must follow/
But if you fall you fall alone
If you should stand then who’s to guide you?/
If I knew the way I would take you home”
The end of the track balances the need to rely upon and listen to oneself, just as they do with the voices of others. The song does not argue for a specific balance of the two ideas, nor does it argue for a specific instance in which one path should be taken, but rather for a balance that is specific to the individual.
While watching Freaks and Geeks may have pushed my interpretation of the end of the song in a way that may differ from how others hear it, I do feel as though the song places trust in individuals that they will make important, authentic decisions — branching off from the guidance of others when they feel ready to. The song as a whole serves as a suggestion to people who are unsure or uneasy in their current situation to examine what it is they desire to be or do, whether it comes to fruition or not, in the pursuit of growth.
